Existing beverage container holders lack the seven-fold functionality of: (1) attaching to the tops of horizontal surfaces; (2) attaching to the underside of horizontal surfaces; (3) attaching to vertical objects or posts; (4) hanging; (5) stand-alone usability and transportability; (6) attaching more than one holder at a time; and (7) having the ability to be and maintained in the compacted state.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,602 issued to Evans, Campbell and Blair discloses an insulating device for a beverage container including a flexible sleeve, a cover and a strap. However, Evans does not provide a means to compact the device and retain it in the compacted configuration. It also does not provide for attachment to a vertical member (such as the post of a chair arm) or a horizontal member (such as the top surface of a wheelchair arm).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,991 to Williams discloses a beverage container holder including an insulating blanket and a vertical bendable support. Williams does not provide a way to compact the device and retain it in the compacted configuration. Furthermore, although a means is provided for attaching to a vertical surface, such surface needs to be flat and a releasable bonding member must be mounted to that vertical surface. This may be a problem when desiring to attach the holder to public or non-personal property. A disadvantage of this holder is that it would not attach well to rounded surfaces, such as the rounded vertical posts of chair arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,879 to King describes a compactable beverage container holder. However, King does not provide a means for attaching to horizontal or vertical objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,180 to Duckworth discloses a beverage holder that is not compactable and does not allow for attaching to vertical objects.
Additionally, existing beverage container holders cannot be hung from a person's neck in a manner that would allow a person to drink while it is hung around the neck. This invention makes such drinking possible. Furthermore, existing beverage container holders are not modular and cannot secure two or more holders together as a single unit.
Also, existing beverage container holders cannot accommodate both frustoconical and cylindrical beverage containers. Furthermore, existing beverage container holders cannot well accommodate various sizes of containers including containers ranging in size from the standard 12 ounce (355 ml) to 16 ounce (473 ml) soda cups to standard 12 ounce (355 ml) soda cans to standard 16 ounce (473 ml) water bottles.
While beverage holders made of a flexible insulating materials(such as neoprene) exist for cylindrical beverage containers (such as soda cans), holders for frustoconical containers (such as the common soda-fountain drink cups) may not. Further, for many persons, holding these soda-fountain cold drinks is problematic because the condensation on the outside of the container gets their hands wet and also is cold to the touch. Such persons would appreciate a holder that would insulate their drink, be a barrier to the ice coldness and also keep their hands dry.
Importantly, the holder according to this present invention is very versatile. In fact, the versatility of this holder is a key feature of this invention. It is the versatility of the holder, with its ability to attach to members of various shapes, sizes and orientations, to hold various shapes and sizes of beverage containers, to neatly compact and stay compacted, as well as the host of other abilities discussed in the preceding text, that distinguishes it from prior art; prior art beverage holders cannot inclusively do all that the holder according to this invention can.